Global Charity Doubles Capacity to Manage Funds by Switching from Sage to Aqilla Accounting Software

Publish What You Pay (PWYP), a global advocacy network campaigning for a fairer energy transition, has doubled its capacity to manage restricted funds by streamlining processes and improving analysis with Aqilla cloud accounting software. This leap in efficiency helps the organisation to amplify its impact by taking on more projects and delivering greater value to communities worldwide.

“Previously, we could only manage around five restricted grants due to the administrative burden,” explained Rami Hassouna, Director of Finance and Operations at PWYP. “With Aqilla, I’m confident we could double that, significantly increasing our ability to make a difference.”

The switch from Sage 50 to Aqilla has also reduced month-end reporting time by 50%, halved operational costs and introduced automated workflows that benefit the entire organisation.

How Aqilla transformed PWYP’s operations

In 2024, Rami made the switch to the cloud and chose mid-market accounting software, Aqilla, as a step up for the growing, international organisation. It was also an opportunity for the finance leader to review and modernise processes within the finance function and across the wider operation:

• Automating stakeholder reports – Aqilla allows Rami’s team to tag transactions with multiple attributes. This adds a level of flexibility to the financial analysis that Sage 50 couldn’t provide. It became possible to automate tailored reports for individual stakeholders. Rami added, “Aqilla has given us the flexibility to analyse and report costs in ways we couldn’t before. It has transformed
  our reporting to funders, budget holders, the board and the Charity Commission.”
• Developing strategies from financial insights – Aqilla allows budget holders to see how much it costs to achieve their goals. Rami explained, “Having real-time insights into our spending allows us to assess the effectiveness of campaigns and allocate resources more strategically, ensuring we deliver the greatest impact for our funds.”
• Reclaiming five days a month for strategic leadership – Month-end processes now take five days, a 50% reduction. Aqilla’s analysis, reporting and automation capabilities allow Rami to spend more time on strategic work. Emphasising the impact, he said, “Saving fifty percent of month-end reporting time with Aqilla means we can focus more on providing deeper analysis and insights to guide
  decisions, rather than just crunching numbers.”
• Creating workflows that free up time for everyone – Before Aqilla, PWYP used third-party workflow software to manage the approval process. By integrating approvals, Rami has simplified expense and invoice management for budget holders and approvers, reducing administration organisation- wide. He explains, “Aqilla’s workflow approval automation not only saves time but also
  eliminates errors and manual intervention. Everyone in the organisation benefits.”
• Reducing costs by fifty percent – Implementing Aqilla and consolidating systems reduced costs by 50%. Working with Aqilla’s development team to integrate expense approvals and budget management eliminated the need for a separate workflow tool. Rami was also able to cut the costs ofthe Azure server and 3 rd party support because Aqilla operates in the cloud, offering browser access to every user.

Conclusion

Aqilla has not only optimised PWYP’s finance operations and halved costs but also empowered
the organisation to expand its reach and impact. By enabling better resource management,
Aqilla supports PWYP’s vision of a just and equitable energy future. Summing up, Rami
Hassouna said, “Aqilla transforms how we manage and analyse finances, saving time and costs
while improving insights. This enables us to focus on our mission to create a fairer energy
transition for communities worldwide.”

Aqilla’s CEO Hugh Scantlebury said:

You can find out more about Publish What You Pay from their website.